(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to enclosures for a bathtub or shower, and more particularly refers to such an enclosure having sliding doors which may be alternatively positioned in the front of the enclosure, or in a storage position at the side of the enclosure.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
Bathtub and shower enclosures are disclosed in the prior art having sliding door assemblies. Conventionally the doors have been slidable in only single sets of tracks so that one may slide them to a closed position or to an open position in front of the enclosure.
In U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,990,183 and 4,089,135 enclosures are disclosed having sliding doors suspended from tracks and having tracks which are mounted both in front and to one side of the enclosure. As a result, the doors may be placed either in a closed position or alternatively, the doors are arranged to permit sliding into out of the way storage positions to facilitate cleaning and easy access to the area closed off by the doors. This is accomplished by means of tracks having pivotal rollers positioned therein and affixed to the upper edge of the door. The pivotal rollers are rather complicated and expensive and create considerable noise when they are caused to pivot around the corners at the intersection of the front track and the side track.